PGP unfazed by MS disk encryption

Infosec PGP says the whole disk encryption kit Microsoft will bundle with Vista is no threat to its position as the first port of call for forgetful laptop luggers.

At its InfoSec press briefing, Microsoft was pushing its BitLocker software as peace of mind for firms wanting to sling old HDDs.

In contrast, PGP marketing manager Jamie Cowper reckons its encryption toolset should be an integral part of an ongoing security strategy.

PGP announced a deal with Sony Computer Entertainment to protect the laptops of 1,100 worldwide employees. That'll be their GTA cheat codes safe, then.

Drive lock-down, and encryption in general, still represent a small slice of the security market. However, it is rising up both the strategic and budgetary agenda. Increasing use of BlackBerries, PDAs, laptops, and smartphones was identified as a risk in the DTI's 2006 security report.

BitLocker has landed Redmond in some hot water over its insistence that there are no back doors for law enforcement. PGP says its open source encryption code also guarantees no back doors.

PGP encryption inventor Phil Zimmerman was dragged through the US courts in the 90s by feds worried it would roadblock investigations. Zimmerman is now a technical advisor at PGP and is working on VoIP encryption, another worry on the horizon for the DTI Information Security report.

PGP will start finding out if its bullishness in disk encryption is justified when Vista hits the corporate streets early next year. ®